as in joining
to become a friend to (someone)
He befriended the new student.
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Recent Examples of befriending
The Ronettes’ sexy look and powerful voices — plus songwriting and producing help from Phil Spector — turned them into one of the premier acts of the girl-group era, touring England with The Rolling Stones and befriending the Beatles.
—
ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Still, the King of Pop's life wasn't without controversy, which ranged from wacky (befriending and adopting a chimp) to much darker (child abuse allegations).
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Characteristically, McMurtry wasn’t keen on being the subject of a full biography; Streitfeld, after befriending him, won his cooperation piecemeal.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 21 Apr. 2026
The frame narrative, involving Johnny befriending Toby, a Black boy his age on the plantation, Uncle Remus, and a white-trash girl, Ginny, who is bullied by her brothers, is stilted and poorly paced.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
The clip captures a solid day of shenanigans, which include dirt-biking, graffitiing, flying a kite, brandishing various plushies and smoke flares, and befriending a herd of sheep.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
Kelley makes a play for Göring’s trust by befriending his wife and daughter and carrying letters to them, against all regulations.
—Alice Kaplan, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Even the part about befriending a notorious pedophile?
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026
Even the bit about befriending a notorious paedophile?
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Still, the King of Pop's life wasn't without controversy, which ranged from wacky (befriending and adopting a chimp) to much darker (child abuse allegations).
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Characteristically, McMurtry wasn’t keen on being the subject of a full biography; Streitfeld, after befriending him, won his cooperation piecemeal.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 21 Apr. 2026
The frame narrative, involving Johnny befriending Toby, a Black boy his age on the plantation, Uncle Remus, and a white-trash girl, Ginny, who is bullied by her brothers, is stilted and poorly paced.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
The clip captures a solid day of shenanigans, which include dirt-biking, graffitiing, flying a kite, brandishing various plushies and smoke flares, and befriending a herd of sheep.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
Kelley makes a play for Göring’s trust by befriending his wife and daughter and carrying letters to them, against all regulations.
—Alice Kaplan, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Even the part about befriending a notorious pedophile?
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026
Even the bit about befriending a notorious paedophile?
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befriending
Verb
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This marks the second time in school history that the Mids collected a top-eight seed, joining the 2013 squad that was seeded eighth.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
4 May 2026
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Jason Goldman, a onetime Google and Twitter executive, has helped to guide his explorations, joining him in meetings with Silicon Valley specialists and Biden-era federal employees.—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
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In 1992, Pau spent a year traveling to New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles on an Asian Cultural Council grant.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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Dyer said a second plane was traveling to the event from Amarillo at the same time.—
Jim Vertuno,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Mount Carmel’s Christian Clark has a keen sense of what every pitcher is thinking, especially since the senior catcher spends every game connecting and interacting with his own staff.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2026
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And now two different studies published in the journal Nature — one connecting the long-term health of adults with their thymic health and the other analyzing cancer therapy outcomes and thymic health — point to the thymus playing an important role in wellness.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befriending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befriending. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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